Two Lower Mainland cops acquitted of sexual assault charge in Cuba

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The legal ordeal involving two Lower Mainland police officers, held in Cuba over a sexual assault allegation, is almost over.

Back in March, Mark Simms of the Vancouver Police Department was charged with the sexual assault of a 17-year-old, while Jordan Long of the Port Moody Police Department was held as a witness.

A friend of theirs is now saying they have been acquitted after a trial, but they have not left Cuba because of “additional legal loopholes.”

The two were on vacation in Varadero, a resort city in Cuba, when the charge was laid. They haven’t been able to leave the country in the meantime.

“I can confirm that last week they were found not guilty by a panel of 5 female judges. They are not on their way home as there are additional legal loopholes before they are allowed to leave,” John St. Pierre tells CityNews.

Port Moody and Vancouver police department say they haven’t been provided with official updates.

Colleagues happy fellow officers are coming home

Ashleigh Daniels, with Coquitlam RCMP, has known Jordan Long for a couple of years. She tells CityNews she’s been in contact with him as he was awaiting trial.

“He kept his hopes up. He was always telling me, ‘I know I didn’t do anything wrong, I know this is a lie, and I know the truth will come out,'” she says. “He was always very positive.”

She says she personally emailed Canadian MPs, pleading with them to get involved to get the two officers home.

Over the last eight months, she says they kept their spirits up, believing they would find a positive outcome in the end.

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